This review may contain mild spoilers.

Netflix’s recently-released drama TV show Firefly Lane springs on the unique friendship of two girls that are each desperate for a friend. 

The show is an adaptation from Kristin Hannah’s novel Firefly Lane. As the girls navigate through the years, their amity grows stronger. 

The performances of Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke are spectacular, and the chemistry between them is uncanny. Tully (Heigl), a troubled kid with a drug addict as a mother, moves next door to the sweet, naive Kate (Chalke), who wouldn’t dare break the rules. While the girls face devastating realities, their bond becomes unbreakable. 

As the viewers dive in, the show unleashes the girls’ ideal of romance and the struggles that come with it. There is distinct naivety and confusion when it comes to love for these girls. And to make it a full circle, the show is named after the street in which Tully and Kate first met. 

They ultimately became inseparable best friends, remaining in each other’s lives even into their 30s. Yet, the show starts with the girls as adults in their current lifestyle. There is a continuation of ups and downs, allowing viewers to reciprocate the feelings of struggle, achievement and pain. 

However, it is quite thrilling to see the effects of their paths and ultimately what became of their lives. As adults, Tully is a famous star, while Kate, an almost divorcee, is coming into the workforce after being a stay-at-home mother.

Program creator Maggie Friedman, the writers and director developed an odd filming style for this show. While Firefly Lane starts with the girls well into their 30s around the early 2000s, the show leaps into their past. 

There are various flashbacks of different moments in their lives. The show welcomes viewers into momentous life events from their first job, death, pregnancies and weddings. Sometimes a memory is connected to the current episode; other times, viewers have to hold on to the puzzle piece. In some episodes, the era dives as far back as the 70s. 

In scenes of their past, the creators added a post-production filter giving the actresses and clips a glow, a classic effect. The fashion, objects and settings of each era always remain realistic. Viewers continue to see the cause and effect of Tully and Kate’s reckless, wise and questionable actions. 

It is clear that no matter the circumstances of their surroundings, their friendship remains true. 

While the writing of the show seems to be faulty in some areas, the chemistry of Heigl and Chalke is fascinating and solidifies the show. Kate and Tully are raw people with everyday problems: while one is chaotic and reckless, the other is orderly and drowning. The formation of their lives is eye-opening. 

While season 1 is now available, there is still no word on whether the show will renew for a second season. Catch Firefly Lane on Netflix. 

Kat Parra is in her senior year here at CSUSM and majoring in art and technology. Since last semester, she has been assisting The Cougar Chronicle as a photographer and staff writer and she is currently serving as the Assistant A&E Editor. She enjoys sculpting, art, video design and spending time with family. She will be the first in her family to graduate from a four-year university.  Her inspiration is and always will be her mom.